<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<recipeml version="0.5">
  <recipe>
    <head>
      <title>3 Sisters Casserole</title>
      <categories>
        <cat>None</cat></categories>
      <yield>4</yield></head>
    <ingredients>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>cup</unit></amt>
        <item>Dried pinto or kidney beans</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>pinch</unit></amt>
        <item>Chili powder</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>pinch</unit></amt>
        <item>Cayenne pepper</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>teaspoon</unit></amt>
        <item>Cumin</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit/></amt>
        <item>Clove of garlic, crushed</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>cup</unit></amt>
        <item>Diced onion</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>2</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Diced squash (up to 3)</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>3</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Corn</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>cup</unit></amt>
        <item>Diced red and green peppers</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1</qty>
          <unit>pinch</unit></amt>
        <item>Salt</item></ing></ingredients>
    <directions>
      <step>     Soak  the beans overnight, then drain the water,  rinse  and add  3  1/2
  cups of fresh water and the pinches  of  cayenne  and chili powder.  Bring
  to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Meanwhile, sautee the garlic, onion,
  peppers, cumin and another pinch of cayenne until the onions are soft. When
  the beans are soft, stir in the sauteed onions. Then add the squash on the
  top and cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Next, add the corn and cook
  for 10 more minutes. Finally, add the salt and mix the cassrole together.
  Garnish  with lots of chopped parsley  or  scallions.
  
  Serve hot with tortillas and a salad.  Makes great leftovers too!
  
  :       The Native American 3 Sisters of Life
  
     Native American Indians honored their three staples -  corn, beans  and
  squash  - by refering to them as the  "3  Sisters  of Life".   These plants
  not  only  provide  a  balanced  set   of nutrients, they symbiotically
  nourish and protect each other when they  are  grown together.  The beans
  provide  nitrogen  for  the corn, which in turn provide poles for the
  beans, while the spiny squash provide protection from the racoons and deer.
  As  a demonstration of the true partnership between the gardner and the
  land, Native American crops included snap and dry beans, summer and winter
  squash, and corn.
     According  to Native American tradition, corn is called  the Sacred
  Mother  and revered as a gift from the gods.   Corn,  the all-nourishing
  sacred food, has been used in innumerable  rituals to  symbolize  and honor
  fertility,  renewal  and  power.   The midsummer harvest was a time of
  joyful celebration. Natures many varieties of corn can be eaten fresh on
  the cob, roasted over hot coals, cooked in soups or stews, or ground for
  meal or flour.
     Beans  and  corn form a complimentary protein so  they  were often  used
  together  in cooking.    The  many  types  of  beans (pinto,  red kidney,
  soldier) were cooked in a variety  of  ways, most  commonly  boiled and
  fried. Most of the beans that were grown were dried and stored for future
  use.
  
     Both summer and winter squash were widely cultivated.  Fresh and  dried
  squash were boiled, baked, fried and cooked in  stews. Native  American
  cooks seasoned squash with nut butters or maple syrup, while colonists used
  butter and cinnamin or nutmeg.
  
     Here  is  a  colorful  casserole  which  honors  the  Native American "3
  Sisters of Life".  Enjoy!
  Posted to FOODWINE Digest 18 October 96
  
  Date:    Sat, 19 Oct 1996 17:00:30 -0400
  
  From:    Garry Howard &lt;g.howard@IX.NETCOM.COM&gt;
 
</step></directions></recipe></recipeml>
